NeutronJon
New member
I called conicelli and this is what they told me over the phone after checking my VIN.
Your mileage may vary
Your mileage may vary
Lower Control Arm Replacements?
- Thread starter NJshadow93
- Start date
NeutronJon
New member
My shop just called... they've had it since yesterday and one of the LCA bolts is still stuck and they don't expect to be done today...
BrowningNRA2
New member
Mine is going in first thing in the morning. I'll be saying my prayers tonight that my labor quote isn't completely shot once they realize those bolts aren't going to budge, and they'll be hacking them off :wow:
blackoutt
New member
Does anyone have an old set of OEM toyota LCA's that they would like to send me if I pay shipping? They need to be OEM bushings so that I can use the parts to rebuild them poly bushings, condition doesn't matter as long as they are there although less rusty arms preferred. Ball joints can be 100% shot or missing too.
wkeryder4
New member
I would send you mine but I had to cut through part of the bushing to get mine out. My driver side one is fine, but the passenger side is pretty beat up.
blackoutt
New member
Sent a PM. We might be able to make that work. I cut my original bushings to get the arms off and they would have worked at that point then I cut them out of the arms completely to install new bushings and they were useless at that point. Then I got rid of the arms. Worst case I use your arms and just have to buy 1 new OEM bushing to tear apart and refit with poly.
BrowningNRA2
New member
Well the Job is done! Unfortunately, the shop had to cut the arms completely off. The driver side wasn't as bad, they just had to grind the bolt off, which is completely sealed inside the sleeve. Needless to say, I'm glad the job is finished. Dropped the truck off for an alignment today, and I should be ready to go another 200K miles!
I got out of there for 250 bucks in labor. Not bad considering I wanted no part in cutting those arms off. I am pleasantly surprised in the 1A arms. For the price they fit perfectly, and seem to be a good replacement option. We'll see how they hold up in the coming years! Bummed I couldn't salvage the original ones for spares.
I got out of there for 250 bucks in labor. Not bad considering I wanted no part in cutting those arms off. I am pleasantly surprised in the 1A arms. For the price they fit perfectly, and seem to be a good replacement option. We'll see how they hold up in the coming years! Bummed I couldn't salvage the original ones for spares.
Ropke Nine
New member
Hey need some input on my 2004. This happened while I was driving to work last Thursday. The front end is completely screwed. The brackets on the frame holding the front lower control arms rusted and broke and my mechanic said the frame is pretty much done for up there. It's a 2004 with ~125k miles and there is significant rust throughout the frame and even parts of the body now it seems. Is this a total loss? I know anything is repairable but at what cost and is it worth it. There is also damage to the shaft seals and I'm sure much more damage than what is visible.
_ bought this used in 2014 and it didn't seem bad at the time but the rust has just been out of control.
_ bought this used in 2014 and it didn't seem bad at the time but the rust has just been out of control.
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Drunner97
New member
Holy hell! I don't think I've ever seen something like that before. If there's enough good frame, you could probably try to get a competent frame guy to weld on new LCA brackets, but unless it's dead on you may never get into alignment spec again though. I'd have a chat with your insurance. That sucks.
CruzadoBlanco
New member
that might as well be totaled. if those are rusted enough to rip off the sub frame i can only imagine how bad the rust is in other parts of your frame. if thats the worst of it it may be possible to find a donor subframe and have it welded in, but that could be risky.
DEF4Runner
New member
I can't remember just how those are welded. Are they welded to the crossmember?
Ropke Nine
New member
I'm not a car expert but I think it's welded to the cross member, and yes my mechanic said it's pretty toast. I think it's done for, I can't even imagine what labor cost alone would be to fix this. I might have to scrap it or sell it as a parts car. Best part is my insurance said they can't do anything because it wasn't in an accident, great thanks for being useless as usual. My mechanic was blown away as he said he's never seen anything like this before either, he has done a few of the rear LCA but this is nuts. Should I even bother trying to contact Toyota to see if there's anything to be done? I don't really know what type of recalls, and frame swaps or buyback they have had for these.
-Also good thing this happened when I was only going 30-40 mph and not about 10 minutes later when I would be on the highway going 60-70.And good thing I didn't put a lot of money into it, I only did tires and an OME suspension and a few cosmetic bits. I still don't even really know what I'm going to do, what are my best options to get at least some money out of this rust bucket?
-Also good thing this happened when I was only going 30-40 mph and not about 10 minutes later when I would be on the highway going 60-70.And good thing I didn't put a lot of money into it, I only did tires and an OME suspension and a few cosmetic bits. I still don't even really know what I'm going to do, what are my best options to get at least some money out of this rust bucket?
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Sorry dude, that sucks. I know that the Tacos went through a corrosion recall on their frames but I'm guessing that doesn't apply to our 4Runner frames.
Depending on your tenacity and wallet size, it's not improbable to swap everything over to another frame that was involved in a minor fender bender maybe? Perhaps source a frame from out West or here in the SW and move everything over?
A local buddy sold his '03 2x2 4Runner last weekend after he picked the drive-train out of it for $300 at a local salvage yard. So, these types of deals exist, it's just a matter of your priorities, tenacity and time.
Good luck brother.
that can still be fixed. It's only the bracket that looks corroded. you can buy those brackets from Toyota dealer I think. find a good welder to do it and of course you are out of car to drive while they're fixing it.
here's what I did on my frame when I replaced the suspension components. a fresh coat of paint can keep it rust free.
here's what I did on my frame when I replaced the suspension components. a fresh coat of paint can keep it rust free.
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flipflopnfly
New member
Is using a floorjack under one LCA at a time to compress the front coils, then tighten the LCA, UCA, and lower front shock bolt an acceptable method?
lightfreak
New member
I'm also looking for updates from anyone who went with aftermarket OE style replacement LCA w/ball joints , any brand or supplier . Long term feedback would be appreciated. Looking to tackle this over the summer.
BlackWorksInc
New member
Depending on how bad the frame is and how good the body is, you might just want to check with a wrecking yard or LKQ and see if they can get you a good frame for a few grand and swap things over after having it coated.
Not a complete loss, but perhaps talk with your insurance to get an idea of options?
